Election Issues Taken to Court

Was it a dream or did the United States actually get turned upside down? The Republican George W. Bush campaign has asked for the U.S. Supreme Court to tell the state of Florida what to do regarding the Florida election vote counts, while the Democratic Al Gore campaign plans to defend the state of Florida's right to manage its own affairs.

If our country isn't upside down, it's apparent that the two parties have had a reversal of historical political philosophy with regard to the issue of states' rights.

ALEX BRITTON

Long Beach

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We as a country need an ultimate ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court so each state can then use that decision to standardize its voting procedures, ballots and certification times, and to ensure there is an equitable election standard for all Americans in a national election.

The Supreme Court has intervened many times on state issues when the citizens of that state felt they had not received equal treatment under the law. There are obviously many citizens in Florida on both sides of this issue who feel that they have been denied their lawful rights in this election. Let our country benefit in a positive manner from this history-making election.

LARRY ZINI

Camarillo

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A striking feature of the current imbroglio in Florida is the attitude of the Bush campaign. Any reliance at all on hand counts is tantamount, in their eyes, to stealing the election. The fact that many jurisdictions, including Texas, rely heavily on manual recounts is of no consequence.

Another complaint, echoed in James Pinkerton's Nov. 23 column, is "the lawyerization of the Democratic Party." While many lawsuits have been brought, some have even been filed by the Bush campaign. Indeed, the Republicans were the first to move in federal court, despite the constitutional provision that makes elections primarily a state matter.

Elections as well as polls have margins of error. While these margins may be smaller with elections, they still persist. And the presidential election in Florida is surely within that margin of error. No matter what the outcome is, we can never really know the true winner.

WILLIAM S. COMANOR

Los Angeles

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I keep hearing things like "disenfranchise" and "the will of the people" and "let's count all of the votes of the people." I was really amazed to find out that all of the "people of Florida" live in four counties of the state!

EDMUND G. HIDALGO

Santa Fe Springs

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If at the deadline set by the Florida Supreme Court Gov. Bush has more votes and Vice President Gore still refuses to concede, the vice president's true intentions will be displayed for all to see. Gore only cares about winning, no matter the cost to the nation.

JOE F. PARRA

Long Beach

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Let's have a recount of the military absentee ballots, particularly those ones rejected for postmark technicalities, to determine the intent of the voters. (An investigation should be made as to when the votes were actually cast and handed over to authorities.)

MACKAY HOLMES

Cypress

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So the members of Miami-Dade County canvassing board let themselves be bullied out of doing a recount by a mob of Republicans (Nov. 23). I don't know whom to be angrier at, the board members for their cowardice or the Republicans for their cowardly resort to mob rule. These are the Republicans who rant on and on about states' rights, then run whimpering to the U.S. Supreme Court when they don't like what the state court does.

Think of how many Republicans have been elected on the theme of law and order. But for a week now, the Bush team and its surrogate talk-show hosts have been inciting the flock to riot. They certainly succeeded, as we watched their disciples storm the ballot-counting center in Miami-Dade. Law and order, but not for them.

WILLIAM ZINTL

San Juan Capistrano

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Re "Counting That Chad Is Just the Texas Way," Commentary, Nov. 23: What's with Robert Scheer? His vitriolic columns on Bush are so full of hatred and absurdity, I pity the man. Bush is a decent, extraordinary man, capable and worthy of being the next president. Both he and Gore deserve the chance to be judged on what they have accomplished with their lives. Bush has accomplished the enactment of many social programs in Texas that previous governors were unwilling or unable to do. In foreign policy, we will at last have a president who does not have the arrogance to consider our country as policeman for this planet, yet he sees our need to use our power with restraint. I find Scheer's histrionics truly offensive and totally unjust.

MARY LOUISE LOPEZ

Montebello

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Re "Cheney Suffers a 'Very Slight' Heart Attack," Nov. 23: If Bush's choice of a running mate who has a history of heart problems and Dick Cheney's determination to run despite these problems are any indication of this twosome's decision-making abilities, Americans better fasten their seat belts, they are in for a bumpy ride!